Christopher C. Langdell (1826-1906) is one of the most influential
figures in the history of American professional education. As dean
of Harvard Law School from 1870 to 1895, he conceived, designed,
and built the educational model that leading professional schools
in virtually all fields subsequently emulated. In this first
full-length biography of the educator and jurist, Bruce Kimball
explores Langdell's controversial role in modern professional
education and in jurisprudence.
Langdell founded his model on the idea of academic meritocracy.
According to this principle, scholastic achievement should
determine one's merit in professional life. Despite fierce
opposition from students, faculty, alumni, and legal professionals,
he designed and instituted a formal system of innovative policies
based on meritocracy. This system's components included the
admission requirement of a bachelor's degree, the sequenced
curriculum and its extension to three years, the hurdle of annual
examinations for continuation and graduation, the independent
career track for professional faculty, the transformation of the
professional library into a scholarly resource, the inductive
pedagogy of teaching from cases, the organization of alumni to
support the school, and a new, highly successful financial
strategy.
Langdell's model was subsequently adopted by leading law schools,
medical schools, business schools, and the schools of other
professions. By the time of his retirement as dean at Harvard,
Langdell's reforms had shaped the future model for professional
education throughout the United States.